Review: NYE at Wales Millennium Centre - A Rousing Tribute to a Welsh Giant
Last night at the Wales Millennium Centre, the spirit of Aneurin Bevan blazed across the stage in NYE, a triumphant co-production between the National Theatre and WMC. Written by Tim Price and starring the incomparable Michael Sheen, this is not just a play, it’s a rallying cry, a love letter to the NHS, and a deeply Welsh fantasia that pulses with heart, grit, and revolutionary fire.
From the moment Sheen steps into Bevan’s shoes, we’re swept into a morphine-laced dreamscape that charts the politician’s life from the coalfields of Tredegar to the corridors of Westminster. It’s a bold theatrical device — Bevan, recovering in a hospital of his own making, drifts through memory and myth, confronting the ghosts of his past and the legacy of his vision. The result is a production that’s as emotionally charged as it is politically potent.
But before the curtain could rise (or rather, not rise) we were treated to a rare and rather magical moment of theatrical honesty. Michael Sheen and director Rufus Norris stepped out to explain that due to a technical fault, none of the rigging was working. The hospital curtain set, meant to descend and frame the action, was stuck high above the stage. What followed was a performance stripped of illusion — and all the more powerful for it.
With no fly system to conceal the mechanics, we saw stagehands moving set pieces in full view, actors waiting in the wings, and the quiet choreography of backstage life unfolding before us. Far from being a distraction, it felt like a gift — a glimpse into the hidden heartbeat of theatre. It reminded us that storytelling is a collective act, built on trust, timing, and a touch of chaos. And in a play about the creation of something as human and imperfect as the NHS, it couldn’t have been more fitting.
Sheen is magnetic. His portrayal of Bevan is layered with vulnerability, fury, and fierce compassion. Whether stammering through childhood trauma or sparring with Churchill in Parliament, he burns with conviction. His speeches, especially the rallying cry to “Tredegarise” the nation’s healthcare, drew audible gasps and spontaneous applause from the audience. It’s a performance that doesn’t just honour Bevan; it resurrects him.
Director Rufus Norris orchestrates the chaos and clarity of Bevan’s journey with deft precision. The staging is fluid, the transitions seamless, and the ensemble cast, including standout turns from Sharon Small as Jennie Lee and Rhodri Meilir as Bevan’s father, bring texture and tenderness to the narrative. There are moments of humour, heartbreak, and sheer theatrical magic. One scene, in which young Bevan discovers the power of language in a local library, is pure joy, a reminder of how words can liberate, elevate, and transform.
But NYE is more than biography. It’s a timely reminder of what collective care looks like, and why it matters. In an age of political cynicism and crumbling public services, this play dares to dream, and demands that we do too. It’s a celebration of Welsh radicalism, working-class resilience, and the audacity of hope.
As the final scene faded and Sheen’s Bevan stood defiant, the audience rose to its feet. Not just in admiration of the performance, but in recognition of the legacy it honours, and the raw, unfiltered beauty of a show that let us peek behind the curtain, quite literally.
NYE is theatre at its most vital, stirring, necessary, and unforgettable. Catch it while you can. This was a one-of-a-kind night, and one for the history books.
